Maribel in Gensokyo
by RemiScarlet58
Summary: One day, Maribel spots a girl with rabbit ears running off to some mysterious location. She follows the child, only to find herself in a strange land where nothing is as it seems, and the caterpillars can talk! (Or was she a butterfly...?) Join Maribel as she tries to make sense of this nonsensical land while finding her way out. A Touhou version of Alice in Wonderland, so to speak
1. Chapter 1: Down the Rabbit Hole

Maribel Hearn let out a bored yawn. She was lying on the grass of her university's courtyard staring at the bright blue sky. She glanced over at her best friend Renko, who was sitting next to her, studying as usual.

Maribel tried reading along, but the complicated diagrams and equations of Renko's physics textbook might as well have been written in Arabic, and she soon gave up the endeavor.

Her next class was still an hour away, and there was nothing interesting to do. She was all caught up on her homework, and she knew everything there was to know for her next exam. The next club meeting wasn't until next week, and in any case there was very little for her to plan.

She rolled onto her stomach, thinking she might take a nap when a curious sight caught her attention. She spotted a young girl wearing a frilly pink dress running towards the school gate. She was surprised no one else was looking the girl's way; she stood out like a sore thumb amidst the tall college students walking to and from their classes, yet is was as if the child was invisible to all but Maribel.

Much to Maribel's shock, though, she saw that the girl had white rabbit ears, and even a cotton-ball tail! At first, she figured the girl must be wearing a costume, but she saw no headband or sash attached to the appendages. This child was truly a rabbit!

"Oh, I don't want to be late!" she heard the rabbit-girl mutter as she ran past Maribel.

Maribel stood, feeling her inner investigator stir. The rabbit-girl was perfect for the club! She could be its mascot! Or, better yet, the rabbit-girl might know of other creatures the Secret Sealing Club investigated. She was the perfect topic for next week's meeting.

"Come on, Renko! Let's follow her!" she cried, not looking back as she raced after the child.

The rabbit girl led her east, into a small forest near the university. There was a sort of shimmery glow in the air as Maribel entered the woods, but she chalked it up to the sunlight playing tricks on her eyes.

The rabbit soon led her past a small shrine that looked abandoned, as there was no one around and the collection box was covered in dust.

 _Huh,_ Maribel thought idly as she ran past it, _I didn't realize there was an old shrine near school. I wonder who it belonged to?_

"Do you see that shrine, Renko?" she asked, but no one responded. Confused, she peeked behind her for the first time, and was shocked to find that Renko wasn't there!

Had she not heard Maribel's exclamation? Or had she gotten lost along the way? Come to think of it, Maribel hadn't heard anyone else besides herself or the rabbit-girl. Renko must still be at the university, lost in her book.

For a moment, Maribel thought about turning back. She'd be late for her class soon, and Renko may be getting worried about her. After a moment's thought, she decided to keep following the rabbit-child. She'd already read the next chapter they'd be going over today, and Maribel had her phone on her. If Renko was truly worried, all she needed to do was call. And besides, this was an opportunity Maribel simply could _not_ pass up!

So on Maribel went, keeping a safe distance behind her quarry, lest she spook her. Though her legs burned, and her lungs threatened to burst, she managed to keep the rabbit within her sight, though the child got further and further away. It felt like she'd been running for hours, when it was most likely only less than an hour.

 _I'll impress everyone during gym,_ she chuckled sardonically to herself mentally.

She'd followed the rabbit into a tall bamboo forest, and there were so many twists and turns in the path Maribel wasn't sure how she'd get out. Come to think of it, she couldn't remember there being any bamboo forests in Kyoto. Just where _was_ she?

Finally, Maribel had to admit defeat. Her legs collapsed from underneath her, and she tumbled to the ground in a purple heap. She lay there for several minutes, gasping for breath and kneading the pain out of her legs.

Once she thought she could stand, she picked up a dead bamboo stalk and used it to hoist herself back onto her feet. She was unsteady, but with the stalk's help she managed to trudge her way slowly down the path.

She pulled out her phone, intending on texting Renko about her situation, but to her horror she found she had no reception whatsoever.

"Surely I can't be out in the country!" she wheezed, holding her phone in the air, hoping fervently to get even the weakest signal.

"How am I to get back home?!" she continued.

The path led to an old-fashioned mansion that looked brand-new. Maribel wondered why anyone would want to build such a lovely building in the middle of a confusing bamboo forest, but she was not one to judge other people's tastes.

More importantly, she spotted the rabbit-child entering the mansion.

 _Perhaps she or whoever owns it can help me,_ Maribel thought, hurrying as fast as her abused legs would go.

She knocked on the door, but there was no response. After a moment, she knocked again, with the same result.

Cautiously, she tried the door, and found that it opened without hindrance. She was met with a long, large hallway where the end wasn't in sight.

She called out a greeting as she strolled down the impossibly-long corridor, but no one appeared to be home, aside from the rabbit-girl.

 _Where_ did _she go?_ Maribel wondered, and after a few minutes she came to the hall's end. She found a little reception room, with multiple doorways and a little wooden table with a small bottle on it. One such doorway was incredibly small, only a few inches tall. She knelt down and opened the door, peeking through. She saw that it led to a lovely garden with big wooden mortars. The smell of mochi wafted in, and Maribel realized she was dreadfully thirsty.

She stood up and turned her attention to the bottle, hoping there might be water in it. While the liquid was clear, it smelled more like mixed fruit than water. Even more suspicious was the label reading 'DRINK ME' on the side of the glass.

 _I am quite parched…one little sip won't hurt. I'm sure the rabbit-girl will understand if I explain it to her,_ Maribel thought guiltily. She didn't like the thought of stealing this drink, but the rabbit-child seemed reasonable, if only Maribel could find her and explain herself.

She took a tiny sip of the drink, finding that the smell matched the taste. She tasted apples, raspberries, blueberries, peaches…

* * *

A strange feeling washed over her, as if she'd plunged into an ice bath. She gasped against the sudden, unexpected feeling, and rubbed her hands over her arms in an attempt to warm herself up. The room began growing, and she figured she must be falling to the floor. Her poor tired legs must have finally had enough.

But the room stopped growing, and when she looked down at herself, she was shocked to see that she hadn't fallen—she'd shrunk! She was now the perfect size for the little door leading to the garden!

"That bottle must contain a shrinking potion!" she cried out, rather rhetorically. But it was on top of the table, which was now a good two feet above her head. However was she to return to her normal size, let alone get back home?!

Despair washed over her, and she curled up on the floor, weeping softly. She was such an idiot! Following some random girl into the woods all alone; what was she thinking?! Renko must be worried out of her mind for Maribel, and she couldn't even call her best friend to let her know she was in serious trouble.

She sat there for a long time before practicality replaced her despair.

"Obviously there's someone who needs that tiny door," she told herself. "Perhaps they're in the garden? Yes, I'll search for them there. Maybe they can help me…"

As she stood, though, she noticed a glass case lying near one of the table legs. She was able to hold it in one hand, which was why she'd never noticed it before. Inside were ten tiny éclairs, with the words 'EAT ME' written in chocolate icing.

Maribel's pulse quickened. If the bottle had made her small, then this might make her tall! Eagerly, she scarfed down an éclair. It was the best thing she'd tasted all day, and she was half-tempted to eat another one, at least to stave off her growing appetite. But she forced herself not to; she'd probably turn into a giant, and breaking the mansion was not on her to-do list!

The strange feeling was back, and this time she felt as it she'd stepped into a hot tub. She braced herself, staring at the walls hopefully. To her utmost joy, the walls began shrinking….and shrinking…and shrinking…bonk!

Her head hit something hard, and she looked up to find the roof only centimeters from her face. She was boxed in, almost literally, with very little room to move around.

She gave an exasperated groan as she felt carefully around for the bottle.

* * *

 **Maribel seems like the perfect candidate to have an 'Alice in Wonderland'-type adventure, and Gensokyo is the perfect place to have one!**


	2. Chapter 2: The Pool of Tears

Maribel had been feeling around the room for the bottle for some time now. It was hard enough only being able to move her arm a few inches, and harder still to pick up the bottle without dropping or crushing it. She'd managed to pick it up between her fingernails dozens of times, only for her grip to slip as she tried to bring it to her mouth.

After accidentally dropping the bottle for what felt like the zillionth time, Maribel sat back in defeat.

"However am I going to get out of this?" she sighed, feeling rather small despite her gigantic size. "I don't know when anyone will be back. They'll open the door and find a huge skeleton sitting in the middle of their mansion! They shall wonder how in the world a giant managed sneak in, then they shall laugh at her idiocy of getting trapped!"

She heard the pitter-patter of someone approaching, then one of the doors to her right began to open. She saw the rabbit-child peek her head in, frantically muttering, "Oh, where did she leave it? That goddess will be angry if I've kept her waiting…"

Maribel's heart soared, and she quickly called out, "Excuse me, miss! I—"

But the rabbit-girl shrieked at both the sight and sound of Maribel, and at once she turned and fled the room, slamming the door shut behind her. Maribel heard her footsteps quickly get quieter and quieter…until Maribel was certain she was completely alone.

She wept fiercely at her rotten luck, and her teardrops fell from her cheeks in a melancholic downpour.

"I wish this was all some dream!" she cried. "Then I could wake up and be over with this nightmare! Oh, why did I have to follow that girl…?"

"Wait," she realized, her tears ceasing their cascade down her face. "Perhaps I _am_ dreaming! I certainly don't recognize any of this land, and I've been all over Kyoto!"

She closed her eyes and scrunched up her face, willing with all her might to wake up. But when she opened her eyes, she found that she was still a giant trapped in a stranger's mansion.

The room was beginning to get quite hot, and more than ever Maribel wished to have a drink from the bottle. She stared down at the fallen container, then determination set itself upon her face.

Carefully, she picked up the bottle. She didn't rush as she slooooowly brought the bottle up to her face. She patiently maneuvered the glass until it was held between her thumb and forefinger instead of her fingernails. This provided a much more stable grip, and it was easier for her to bring the bottle to her face. Now she wiggled and twisted until her other arm was up by her face as well. Holding the bottle in one, she carefully pried off the cap with her fingernail. She tilted the bottle until only a small drop poured onto her forefinger, which she then brought to her tongue.

After a second, the icy feeling returned, and she laughed gaily as she returned back to her regular size—well, actually, she was about a foot shorter than her normal height, but Maribel didn't care. She was more-or-less back to normal, and she'd figure out how to regrow a foot in height later.

She left the bottle and the éclairs on the table, then hurried out of the mansion. She hoped whoever the food belonged to wouldn't notice some of it missing, but there was nothing she could do about it now. She thought about leaving a note to explain herself, but there was nothing to write on or with.

She guiltily decided to ignore that for now, and focus on the present. She was currently stuck in the middle of a labyrinthine bamboo forest, and she had no idea how to get out.

As she thought about what to do, she faintly heard the sound of running water nearby. She brightened.

"A river! Rivers lead to towns, and I can figure out where I am from there!" she said, delighted.

She followed the sound of the river, and after a while she came upon a great, rushing stream whose waters crashed heavily against the shoreline.

After drinking her fill, she headed upstream, taking care to always keep the river in sight if she was unable to walk directly next to the bank. She checked her phone again, and saw that she still didn't have service.

"It's only natural," she sighed. "I must be _really_ out in the country. Perhaps I can find a pay phone once I find the next town…"

* * *

Maribel found something, alright, but it wasn't a town. Presently, she heard the sound of splashing, and quickly spotted a gray figure floundering in the river. It appeared to be a girl, wearing a headband shaped like mouse ears, making her look rather meek and cute.

The girl was holding strange rods with odd designs at each end. The designs reminded Maribel of the letters N, E, S, and W.

"N, E, S, and W…" Maribel murmured as she raced towards the girl. "For North, East, South, and West? Could those contraptions she holds lead me to the nearest settlement? Oh, I hope so! But first I need to rescue her from the river!"

She caught up to where the girl was struggling to stay above water. …No, that wasn't quite right. It was obvious the girl couldn't swim, but she kept diving underneath the water's surface as if searching for something.

"Hold on, I'll get you out!" Maribel cried, wading into the river. The water was warm, which surprised her, and it was only a few feet deeper than she was. The current was strong, but nothing Maribel couldn't handle.

She swam out to the girl, and grabbed hold of the back of her collar. She kicked her feet, propelling them both to the other side of the shore. Maribel hauled the girl onto the bank, then crawled out of the river, panting heavily.

"Hey! Why'd you do that?!" the girl snapped, standing over Maribel, hands over her hips.

Maribel was too tired to answer, but she did notice that the girl's mouse ears were in fact attached to her head, along with a long gray tail at the base of her spine.

"Oh my, a mouse-girl…I guess there aren't that many cats around…" she thought. But the mouse-girl gave her a horrified look and backed away. Maribel realized with a silent groan that she'd actually said the words out loud.

"Wait, I'm sorry! That was awfully rude of me, to mention cats in front of you," she apologized, standing as up as well.

"I'll say! Who mentions cats in front of a mouse?! You'd feel the same if you were me," the mouse-girl snorted. "And you still haven't told me why you interrupted my search."

"I thought you were drowning. If you've lost something in the river, I can fetch it for you," Maribel offered, hoping that would smooth over her earlier faux-pass.

"I _was_ drowning, but you can't help me. Only I can locate the treasure my rods picked up on. So thanks, but go away," the mouse-girl sniffed before diving back into the river.

"Wait!" Maribel protested, but it was too late; the girl had already submerged.

Maribel followed her in, if only to keep an eye on her and make sure she didn't drown.

"Do you like dogs?" she asked the mouse next time she emerged from the water. The mouse was holding a glittering emerald in her hand with a triumphant look on her face.

"My grandparents used a to keep a handsome golden retriever back on their farm," Maribel continued, desperate to make at least _one_ friend in this strange place. "He used to do such wonderful tricks. He could stand up on two legs and fetch balls, plus he kept the rat population down so—oh no!"

The mouse-girl gave her a look of disgust, and loudly splashed away from Maribel as much as she could. The current began to pick up a little, and both Maribel and the mouse-child were swept away.

"I'm so sorry!" Maribel called between mouthfuls of air. "I wasn't thinking!"

She swam over to the mouse-girl, supporting her and keeping her head above water.

"You can say that again," the child snapped. "After all I've been through, you'd hate cats and dogs too."

"What do you mean?" Maribel asked, but a sight up ahead caught her eye.

Up ahead, four children were desperately holding onto rocks with all their might, lest the river claim them for their own.

"Tell you later," the mouse-girl said grimly.

Maribel swam over to shore, throwing the mouse onto the sandy back. Thankfully, this time she stayed out of the water. Maribel ran over to the children, and held out her hand as she wrapped her other arm around a tree growing next to the river.

"Grab my hand! I'll pull you up!" Maribel told them.

The nearest child, a girl with orangish-blonde hair, looked at her fearfully, then cautiously took Maribel's hand. Maribel hauled her out, with help from the mouse-child. One by one, the other three children were rescued from a watery grave.

As the four children—who were all girls, Maribel noticed—coughed and sputtered, Maribel saw that they all had wings coming out of their backs.

The first child Maribel had rescued wore a red-and-white dress, and she had deep blue eyes that stood out against her light features. The second one was a brown-haired girl wearing a blue dress with star patterns all over it. The theirs had light brown hair, a yellow dress, and crescent-shaped wings. Their wings were all transparent, unlike the fourth. The fourth child had light blue hair, and wore a blue dress.

Most peculiar of all, though, were her icicle-shaped wings.


End file.
